Jay Z to Headline Global Citizen Festival

Jay Z to Headline Global Citizen Festival

Hov, The Roots and more billed to take the stage in Central Park for the annual free concert.

Published July 9, 2014

Jay Z is scheduled to take a moment from being On the Run to perform a charitable concert in New York City.

The annual Global Citizen Festival goes down September 27 in Central Park and again coincides with the General Assembly of the United Nations in order to put pressure on the world leaders who've descended upon the city for a meeting.

The focus of the festival is ending extreme poverty, and while tickets are technically free, attendees are expected to perform as well, earning entrance through some sort of act that helps to "ensure that all the world's children and young people ... survive and thrive," it says on the Global Citizen site. VIP tickets will be available for purchase via Ticketmaster.

"In the last 15 years, we have seen the most successful anti-poverty push in history," GC organizers wrote. "Thanks to this global effort, we now have the opportunity to end extreme poverty by 2030."

Hov has top billing. The Roots, No Doubt, Carrie Underwood, fun., and dutch artist Tiësto will also take the stage. This year, for the first time, the show will air live on television on both NBC and MSNBC.